


Culture Clash

by Mez10000



Series: Mahogany Doors [1]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: M/M, Mahogany Doors, Minor amnesia, Sjips - Freeform, minor mentions of spacemen, reference to sipsco, reference to voltz, these dumb babbies are so fun to write for, what happens in the hovel stays in the hovel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-22 15:09:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7443859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mez10000/pseuds/Mez10000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sjin, I think I already know about the birds and the bees, and no decor was involved in the version I was told.”</p><p> </p><p>Sjin reveals why he's so enamoured with mahogany doors and Sips takes this information in his stride.</p><p>A prequel to Mahogany Doors, though both fics can be read entirely independently of one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Culture Clash

Sjin did not know where this obsession of his had come from. This did not feel too strange to him – everything earlier than a few years ago seemed a blur. He remembered explosions, an affinity for building and the large vast emptiness of the stars, but beyond that, it hurt to try and remember. If he really strained his memory, he could remember gnawing his own arm after a nightmare, but he could not even remember what the nightmare was, now. It just felt like too much effort to remember. These days, he did not try to remember.

He had known Sips as long as he could remember. Which, granted, was not all that long, but he still counted as his oldest friend. Given the circumstances, _only_ friend. Lately, though, with the new secret base and spending so much time with Sips, Sjin thought that friend might be too weak a term to describe them. Kin, perhaps. With all the private jokes and harmless flirting that transpired, kin seemed the closest term. Yet sometimes, Sjin was all too aware that Sips did not seem to share that view.

They were outfitting their secret base; a small escape from the wars that had sprung up around them; when Sjin excitedly bounced towards the bedroom.

“Check out this bling, Sips. Boom, mahogany doors,” he said, placing down his newly crafted décor.

“Oh, wow,” Sips muttered, not having even looked up.

Sjin frowned – maybe Sips had not heard him properly. After all, these were _mahogany_ doors. He had to know the significance of that!

“Mahogany doors, mahogany doors, mahogany doors,” Sjin repeated, in a trance, opening and closing the door.

This caught Sips' attention, finally. “What?”

“Mahogany doors, mahogany doors, mahogany doors, mahogany doors.” Sjin was utterly lost to the excitement of his new creation. Sure, Sips may be a little distracted now, but when he deigned to pay attention, Sjin knew he would appreciate the new addition and what it meant for them.

“Huh?”

“Mahogany doors,” Sjin stated.

Sips laughed, a full-bodied chuckle that Sjin only heard when something was truly funny. “That's not mahogany! The fuck're you talking about, that's just normal wood!”

Sjin's face fell a little. Mahogany doors were not funny. They were important, and Sips not only seemed to be finding the whole thing hilarious but also accused Sjin of lying – as though he would ever lie about mahogany!

“It is!” Sjin protested.

“That is not mahogany.”

“Fuck you!” Sjin dismissed, still playing with the door.

He could not believe Sips was throwing this back in his face. How did Sips not realise how significant this was? He tried one last time to get through to him. “It's mahogany wood, Sips.”

But the moment was already over, and Sjin dejectedly let the matter lie. Perhaps he was wrong about him and Sips. But he clung to hope. He could not help but feel that Sips simply was not listening to what he was trying to say.

* * *

“Ooo, mahogany doors...” Sjin breathed.

Sips was distracted by the plans for their new base of operations. Sjin tried once again, hopeful that this time, Sips would take notice. He was still a little resentful of the last time, but he after everything they had gone through, Sips deserved another chance.

“Is...is this door mahogany?”

“They're not mahogany,” Sips said calmly.

“No?” Sjin's tone was forcibly mild and even, but he felt sick. Sips still was not taking this seriously!

“No, it's not. There's no such thing!” Sips stated with exasperation in his voice. Maybe it was the long journey, maybe it was having to dig up their new base, but Sips did not want to get into this right now. He had noticed the distinctly cold shoulder he had received the last time this came up. The last thing he wanted was more of the same after the long day they had toiled through.

“Are you saying- no- I-” Sjin stuttered, momentarily speechless by Sips' audacity.

“That is not mahogany. Nobody would make a door out of mahogany, Sjin,” Sips said, keeping the last little giggles out of his voice.

Sips just did not know why the doors had produced such an outburst from his friend. He could not see why Sjin was so adamant to defend a few planks of wood.

“Why not?” Sjin asked.

“It’s too expensive!” Sips retorted.

“It’s a tasteful, dark wood,” Sjin said appreciatively.

“It’s what, like, Rockefeller made his desk out of. Like, you’re not just gonna have a door made out of mahogany. It’s rare! D'you know mahogany trees are extinct!”

Sjin glanced at Sips. “Really?”

“Yeah?” Sips falteringly said. “God…” Although he could have been thinking of some other tree, now he really thought about it. What was the one with that big fungal infection a few years back? Had that even wiped them out?

“Are you sure? ‘Cause you kinda said that in your lying voice when you lie to me sometimes…”

“Of course I'm sure!” Sips lied. “Find your own space to sleep, I'm sleeping here.”

Sips arranged his bed in the freshly excavated stone chamber. A lone, single bed. Sjin narrowed his eyes.

“Alright, I'll find somewhere to put my bed, then,” Sjin stated defiantly, placing his own bed next to Sips'.

Sjin locked eyes with Sips, just daring him to say something about that choice. Sips gave a weak chuckle.

“Okay, fine. At least we don't need heating.”

Just like that, the tension was defused, and they went back to their easy back and forth chatter. Still, in the back of Sjin's mind, he was planning how to best install the mahogany doors into the bedroom, and finally getting it through Sips' head that he would always want mahogany, as long as there was a double bed.

* * *

In the end, it was Sips who brought up the issue first. Hovel rules were in full effect, and the two lay safely in bed, lit by flickering torchlight. The distant growls and moans of the night broke the silence, yet the men paid them no attention, safe for now in their temporary room.

“What’s the deal with this mahogany doors thing, Sjin?”  
  
Sjin spluttered and turned on his side to face Sips. He wore a light frown and an intense glare.  
  
“They...they’re _mahogany doors_ ! Don’t you want them?”  
  
“I have nothing against them, but why’re they such a big deal?  
  
“You don’t…”  
  
Sips really did not know? All this time, Sjin thought he was ignoring his messages - his _intent_ \- but after all this time…  
  
“Didn’t your…?” Here, Sjin’s brain stumbled around the words, for some reason not quite able to find the right one. “...your...parents? Didn’t they have mahogany doors?”  
  
Sips snorted. “Like my folks could’ve afforded mahogany!”  
  
“Oh. But they would’ve, if they had the money?”  
  
Sips frowned. “Maybe. I don’t think it meant anything special to them.” To Sjin, this was obviously a matter of more than mere decoration.

It was bewildering, sometimes, for both of them to work out what the other meant, but until now, they had mostly muddled through. This was something outside of their usual frame of reference.  
  
“So...you don’t know what mahogany doors _mean_?”  
  
“Sjin, I don’t think anyone apart from you does. Wanna fill me in on why they’re such a thing for you?”

Sjin’s eyes were wide in disbelief, but he held steady with Sips’ gaze.

“Mahogany doors are…” A light flush tinged Sjin’s cheeks. “...when you like somebody or a group of somebodies very much--”  
  
“Sjin, I think I already know about the birds and the bees, and no decor was involved in the version I was told.”  
  
“It’s not just physical...I mean, it is, too, but…”

Here Sjin kept stuttering and tripping over his words. Sips could not tell if it were embarrassment or simply lack of finding the right words, or perhaps some mixture of the two.  
  
“You‘re allowed to say sex if you mean sex, you dumb-dumb.”  
  
“Fine - it’s not just about sex, Sips. It’s a deep emotional bond that signifies something...lasting. Like family.”  
  
Sjin looked down at the bedsheets. Sips studied his face. Sjin was blushing in earnest, now, even staining the tips of his ears with colour. This was not Sjin’s usual light hearted jokes and lies. Master troll or not, he still had not mastered blushing on command.  
  
“So you were proposing?”  
  
A tilt of Sjin’s head told Sips that his friend had no idea what he meant. This went some way towards explaining the difficulties Sjin had in describing his intent.  
  
“It’s when one person gives someone close to them a ring made of some fancy metals and rocks.”  
  
Sjin frowned. “Why would anyone care about a ring? It doesn’t _do_ anything.”  
  
“It’s the meaning behind it. A promise to love forever and be partners and stuff,” Sips shrugged. It was not like he had ever given much thought to marriage - he had never really seen it being a thing he was interested in. Of course, now he was reconsidering this stance and found himself not opposed to the idea.  
  
“I still think mahogany doors makes more sense. It’s an entrance to a safe place, away from the rest of the world. It says that this room is protected. It’s...intimate.”

Sjin had a faraway look in his eye. Sips wondered if perhaps he were remembering a time when he had a place like that, and he felt a pang of sorrow for his companion. They had both been together for so long, but he felt as though there were places neither of them could return to, just beyond his memory.  
  
Maybe there were some nuances to this, things that could not be explained as simply as a proposal. But Sips felt he was in roughly the right area, which was more than he could have said before. He had the barest understanding of what Sjin meant, at least.  
  
“So...you never answered me,” Sjin mumbled hesitantly. “How _do_ you feel about mahogany doors?”  
  
“We’re partners. We’ve never exactly been shy about it.”  
  
Sjin frowned. “But it’s-”  
  
“I know, I know, it’s more than that. And I’m not going to lie to ya, Sjin, I might never fully understand how much more. But if you’re willing to be patient with my dumb ass, I’m willing to learn.” Sips reached across the joined beds to brush his fingertips over Sjin’s arms. “Teach me?”  
  
Sjin surged forward at the touch, all fire and energy and excitement. “Say it.”  
  
“Say what?”  
  
Sjin’s eyes flicked over to the doorway, and Sips put together the request in his mind.  
  
“Mahogany doors?” Sips said hesitantly.  
  
Sjin gave a loud, appreciative groan and pounced forward. He settled himself straddling Sips’ hips, grinning down at his partner.  
  
“Just the words are enough to get you all steamed up? Sjin, you horndog!”  
  
“Shut up. Not like you don’t have your kinks, Sipsy.”  
  
Sjin pinned Sips’ arms above his head by means of demonstration. Sips was only held loosely in place by his wrists and he knew full well that he could wrench them out of Sjin’s grasp with barely any effort, but being held like this, with Sjin above him, one long lean stretch of muscle so close...

Sips waggled his eyebrows and lowered his voice into a deep husky tone. “Mahogany doors.”  
  
Sjin whimpered, grinding his hips down against Sips. They were both still clothed - their temporary shelter for the night had hardly been safe enough to disrobe. No one wanted to be running away from zombies in nothing but a loincloth.  
  
“Wow, that really does do it for you, huh?”  
  
With no retort forthcoming, Sjin dove down and captured Sips’ mouth with his own. The distraction loosened Sjin’s hold, and Sips’ hands wandered their way to Sjin’s hips, pulling the slender man down closer.  
  
They had fooled around before, sure, but it had never been quite like this. Sjin’s eyes gleamed with an intensity that made Sips shiver and hold on for dear life. Before it had been just a way of passing the time, of celebrating their victories. This felt dangerous and exciting and new. Electricity hummed and tingled under Sips’ skin. He wanted to be closer, he wanted to entwine himself up in Sjin’s limbs and never leave.  
  
Sips’ tongue dove into Sjin’s mouth and brushed against Sjin’s tongue. Sjin gave a little groan and wriggled his hips. They broke the kiss for air, panting against each other’s skin.  
  
“Sips,” Sjin whined.  
  
It seemed both deeply unfair that they had not removed their clothes first and vitally important that they rectify that now, yet that would also mean moving and Sjin was deeply opposed to that idea, too. To make matters worse, when he opened his mouth to express any of this, all that came out was a plaintive whine.  
  
Sips seemed to understand somehow, greedy hands reaching up at the fastenings on Sjin’s suit, deftly releasing and loosening the suit like he had done so many times before. His hand slipped inside, teasing briefly at the tufts of hair on Sjin’s chest before dipping lower. It was a tricky angle to work with, but they had both done worse with more restrictions, and there was no way in hell they were coherent enough to get everything off now.  
  
Sips inched further down, teasing at the warm flesh under his fingertips. It came as no surprise when he found Sjin fully hard. This whole situation had Sjin wound up tighter than usual. Sjin whimpered under his light touches, begging voicelessly for more.  
  
Sips wrapped his hand around Sjin and with only a few firm strokes Sjin was undone, panting breathlessly against Sips’ neck.  
  
“Already?” Sips quipped. “And here I was just getting warmed up.”  
  
Sjin collapsed bonelessly against Sips’ side.  
  
“Can’t help it that you get me all hot and bothered, boss,” Sjin breathed, pressing a kiss to Sips’ stubble. “Give me a second and I’ll make it up to you.”  
  
They lay in contented silence, Sips shifting slightly to get more comfortable. He was patient, and he knew Sjin would make good on his promise - he always did. For now, he was happy to feel Sjin’s breath even out beside him and clutched the skinnier man closer.  
  
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice how much of a thing this was for you,” Sips mused contemplatively. “I just figured it was more of our dumb jokes.”  
  
Sjin huffed against his neck, a warm exhale that made Sips shiver. “Well, if I knew that, I would have been much more direct. You’ve seriously never heard of mahogany doors before, though?”  
  
“Of course not, you dummy. I told you, remember? I don’t think anyone else has, not the way you’re thinking of.”  
  
Sjin paused, a slight frown on his face. Then, a broad grin. Sips could not help but smile back.  
  
“What’s that look for, huh?”  
  
“If no one else knows, then it’s just you and me, Sipsy. And they aren’t going to suspect a thing…”  
  
“Jeez, Sjin. You kinky bastard! Do I even wanna know what you’ve got planned?”

  
Sjin made a big show of thinking it through, humming and placing a finger on his lips. “I could tell you, but...don’t you think there are some better things I could be doing with my mouth?”  
  
Even as he spoke, Sjin had shifted to unbuckle and release Sips’ suit, slowly dragging it down.  
  
“Subtle, Sjin,” Sips remarked. He still wondered about Sjin’s plans, but if he wanted to leave them as a surprise, Sips would let it lie. He did suspect he had just given another tool to the master troll, but somehow that knowledge paled in comparison to the sensation of Sjin inching lower and lower.

Then Sjin’s hot, wet and extremely talented mouth engulfed him, and Sips did not give a damn.

**Author's Note:**

> I always said, one of these days, I will write something that isn't borderline smut in the Yogscast fandom. Technically, I was right. It's not borderline.
> 
> This is dedicated to everyone who expressed wanting a continuation or prequel to Mahogany Doors.


End file.
